Opposition MLAs have given green signal for Skydeck near NICE Road in Bengaluru: Dy CM DK Shivakumar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 27 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar announced on Saturday that the opposition leaders from Bengaluru have agreed to set up the 250-metre Skydeck near NICE Road.
"The opposition leaders and MLAs representing Bengaluru have given the go-ahead for the 250-metre Skydeck to be set up near NICE Road on the outskirts of the city. We will place this before the Cabinet very soon and take it forward," he said, while addressing a press conference after a meeting with the elected representatives of Bengaluru at Vidhana Soudha.
"The Skydeck needs about 25 acres of land. We had shortlisted land near Kommaghatta and Bengaluru university campus, but we decided against it as it may affect students. We had shortlisted about 10 places for this project, but the Ministry of Aviation had reservations about those due to Skydeck's height. All elected representatives from Bengaluru, including Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, have agreed for NICE Road location," he elaborated.
"The land is currently with the promoters of NICE Road. But R. Ashoka has said that, as per the Supreme Court order, NICE is supposed to hand over about 200 acres to the government. Hence, NICE Road land has been finalised," he said.
Asked if the location was too far from the city, he said, "All these factors have been considered. This location would be convenient for tourists, as it is on the way to tourist destinations such as Mysuru and Kodagu. The connectivity will also improve once peripheral Ring Road is ready. The location will be discussed in the Cabinet. We are planning to do this project with government funds."
"The tunnel road plan was also discussed in the meeting. The first tunnel is being planned from Esteem Mall near Hebbal to Silk Board, with a length of 18.5 km. Tenders will be called after discussing this in the Cabinet. Some lands need to be acquired for the tunnel project and the MLAs have agreed to work with us on that," he said.
"There is another tunnel planned from East to West and it will be taken in the subsequent phase. Along with the tunnel road, we have identified about 17-18 places for signal free corridors. To build 100 km of signal free corridor, we would need about Rs 12,000 crores. We are preparing to call for a tender. In the future all the metro lines will be converted into double decker flyovers," he explained.
"It has been decided to dispose garbage from the city in four places 15-20 km outside the city. We will use government lands wherever they are available; otherwise, private lands will be purchased for the same," he noted.
Asked about traffic congestion due to the abandonment of old and scrapped vehicles on the road, he said the police have been given a free hand to deal with it. He added that they have been instructed to seize such vehicles and auction them. Referring to Cauvery 5th Stage, he said it would be ready by August 20. It is running on a pilot basis and it will be launched by August 20.
The Bengaluru MLAs have sought special grants to carry out works in their constituencies, we will discuss this with the Chief Minister and release as much as possible. The MLAs have given many suggestions and it will be looked into, he added.
Asked about Bengaluru's lakes, he said, "I will call for another meeting regarding lakes of Bengaluru. We have formed a Lake Development Authority under the BWSSB and we plan to fill all tanks with treated water."
Asked about Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) State President Vijayendra demanding Rahul Gandhi's statement on Valmiki and Muda cases, he said, "There is no link between these cases and Rahul Gandhi. Going by that argument, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has to speak since nationalised bank officials are involved in the scam. Vijayendra is an immature politician. He is aware of his father's scams during his tenure. He doesn't have moral right to talk about this."
Asked about Vijayendra's statement that Congress leaders were behind the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) scam, the DCM said, "The BJP is behind MUDA scam. The Chief Minister's family has been compensated for the land it acquired as per the law. If there is any scam that has happened in MUDA, it was during the BJP's tenure. In this backdrop, we have decided to investigate MUDA irregularities from 2006."